The B.C. Lions got a surprise walk-on at practice Monday — from a player they drafted but never expected to see.

Indeed, it would be a walk on the wild side to imagine defensive lineman Christian Covington suiting up for the Leos anytime soon.

A Surrey native and the top prospect in the 2015 CFL draft, Covington arrived with his dad, Grover, the CFL’s all-time sacks leader, mother Natasha and sisters Asianna and Autumn for a parlay with Lions head coach and general manager Wally Buono.

“His mom called me and told me they were coming out to thank us for drafting Christian,” Buono explained. “I told them, ‘You don’t have to do that.’ But that’s the kind of people they are. They’re a very nice family.

They show respect. They show respect to their kids. They show respect to us. We knew the Texans had high regard for Christian. Still, picking him, potentially, for us, might have value one day.”

Taken in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL draft by Houston, Covington was claimed by the Lions 10 days later in the what-have-we-got-to lose fifth round of the CFL draft.

When Christian was growing up, the Lions were his team. He began serious training for football in Grade 7 at Game Ready Fitness in Cloverdale, played high school ball at Vancouver College and became an All-Conference USA selection at Rice University before declaring for the NFL draft after his junior year.

“He (Covington) was the best player in the (2015) draft,” Buono said. “Are we likely to see him? Probably not. But, in the fifth round, you can afford to take a chance.”

Buono finally got to see the prize prospect Monday.

Wearing a Vancouver Grizzlies ball cap, Covington switched it for a Lions model provided by player personnel assistant Geroy Simon and talked about playing in the CFL one day.

He took in the Lions’ 20-18 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night at B.C. Place, where he met up with Seattle Seahawks tight-end Luke Willson, another Rice graduate and former college teammate who was in town to run the Luke Willson Youth Football Camp in Burnaby.

“Vancouver’s my hometown. Gotta love Vancouver,” Covington said. “I love the Lions’ new uniforms. I love B.C. Place. It was a great game (against Calgary) to watch. And you never know what can happen in regards to a football career. If my path leads back up to Canada, it’s good to know I’ll be playing for the B.C. Lions. I’ve wanted to play for them since I was five years old.”

Still only 22, Covington appears to have a long NFL career ahead of him, however. After a rookie season in which he had two sacks, four tackles for losses, four quarterback hits and eight tackles, playing as reserve nose tackle, Covington is being switched to defensive end. That’s the position Grover Covington dominated in the CFL (157 sacks in 11 seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats), and where Christian is expected to be a serious candidate to start.

“I know both positions (defensive end and nose tackle) and I believe I can have success at both positions,” Covington said. “It’s best to be able to do more and not be sold on just one position.”

With NFL training camps not opening until July 30, Covington, New York Giants pass-catching wiz Odell Beckham Jr., running back LeGarrette Blount of the New England Patriots, and Oshawa, Ont., native Stefan Charles, a defensive tackle with the Detroit Lions, will be among players giving instruction at the Elite Dreams Football Camp on Saturday at B.C. Place. The no-contact, no-padded football clinic is open to boys and girls from 7-17.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do — to give back,” Covington said. “It’s being run by Game Ready. That was the company that started training me when I was a kid.”And look where it has led him.

Related Posts

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.